I was both surprised and extremely pleased to read that the homeless shelter at the Hidden Cove Motel in Hampton Bays is going to be shut down. Although I had something to do with recently re-publicizing this civic atrocity, almost every bit of credit for its demise must go to this newspaper's editor, Rick Murphy, for his stellar efforts on behalf of those of us who opposed this contemptible hustle in the name of the disadvantaged.

I had come to strongly feel that this issue had, from its beginning, morphed into a vivid example of just what can go terribly wrong when a bureaucracy -- namely the Suffolk County Department of Social Services -- is allowed to run amok.

The homeless shelter in Hampton Bays, dropped from the sky by DSS onto Hampton Bays like a bomb from a drone, isn't just an issue -- it's a scandal. If it isn't a fully-fledged scandal, it looks, walks and quacks just like one.

I lived at Hidden Cove for 16 months as a rent-paying holdover tenant and whether I wanted to or not, I had to notice the difference between what, in one ear, I heard was good and NECESSARY about it, while I could use my other senses and brain to see and understand how rotten-to-the-core it was. How cynical and money-grubbing it all seemed to be. Much to my gratification, what I thought was true actually WAS true!

I do not believe in coincidences when it comes to this scandal. I do not believe that the homeless shelter's creation was the fruit of a perfect storm of need (too many homeless people for the county to handle without more space) and opportunity (a motel space just ripe for the plucking because it, too, suffered from a bad economy).

What I DO believe in is the kind of corruption, which doesn't necessarily refer to money changing hands in back alleys, but does refer to the kind of "corruption" which is inevitable when liberal social causes are force-fed into a community which has nothing to do with the "problem." The ensuing damage is never contemplated as important by the shape-shifters.

So what if property values go down in the adjacent neighborhood? So what if rent-paying tenants are displaced? So what if the community doesn't want to see this Petri dish of probable petty crime? So what if the homeless shelter operator (Community Housing Innovations) has dozens of "clients" (isn't that term cringe-worthy in this context?) come to Hampton Bays straight from out of state -- not just from up island communities?

So what if some "clients" have been there for at least one year? So what if those who stay there the longest just happen to be women with two children, who therefore qualify for the highest amount of government benefit? Who cares? As it turns out, the community cared and so did Rick Murphy.

Certain politicians seemed to care as well. Anna Throne- Holst, for one. Jay Schneiderman? Different story. This gutless ribbon cutter and photo opportunist was against the shelter (when I first bumped into him while he was politicking back in Oct. 2011, just before an election) before he was for it. Before he was once more against it.

He was quoted last year as saying that CHI was doing a "good job" of running the shelter. A couple of weeks ago he cited the fact that the shelter was taking in customers from out of the area and thus deserved its fate. Can't have it both ways, Jay, unless you're a gutless, craven politician of course.

The rancid, redistributionist orthodoxies of the political left have, like chickens, come home to roost at Hidden Cove.

We were pummeled by the smarmy Gregory Blass (DSS) into guilt about a social obligation, which didn't exist to begin with. We were then to be assuaged by the secular beatitudes of the creepily non-confrontational Alex Roberts -- head homeless hustler in charge of Community Housing Innovations -- to assure us that he and his organization would be there to take care of our "problem"(to the tune of several hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing into his non-profit -- ha!--organization's accounts).

The looting was allowed to last for two years while a barely conscious political elite finally stepped on the roach in their room. Finally!

NICHOLAS SARIDAKIS

Agenda 21

Dear Editor,

Residents please be aware and research the Southampton Town Board's new addition to the Southampton Comprehensive Plan. It is called 400+ Sustainability Element. There are many who believe this was conceived and copied from a plan called "Agenda 21" which would have the United Nations running our town and other towns globally. Its aim is to have everyone equal.

Agenda 21's concept is that the middle class is a threat to the world. Confirm our membership online under ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives). Both Southampton town and village are listed as members.

Here are just a few of the things 400+ does to affect our lifestyle and freedom:

• Common Core education which is already in our schools (indoctrinates children to become global citizens).

• Compacts people to live in village centers and keeps surrounding areas open space.

• Encourages use of bicycles and discourages automobile use.

• Strengthens building codes to use greener products, which is very costly to the average person.

• LIPA is installing "smart meters" which invades and informs how much energy we use each and every day in our homes.

We are all in favor of taking care of our environment and a lot of 400+ sounds great. We have to know that this plan is about people control, not environmental control.

Since 1994, Federal agencies have worked with the authors of Agenda 21 to write regulations implementing this brand of sustainable development throughout the U.S. (Andrew Cuomo was part of this as HUD director). New York State is offering grant money for towns to adopt these plans. We have to defend our Constitutional rights, not the UN Charter.

Please be informed by checking one of the following sites online: Democrats Against Agenda 21; Fighting Agenda 21; Stop ICLEI and educational videos by John Anthony, Dr. Michael Coffman and Henry Lamb to name a few.

There are concerned citizens all over the U.S. that have made their objections known and managed to stop adoption of "Agenda 21." Our board will be voting within the next few weeks. There will be another public meeting this month.

We have been told repeatedly that 400+ is not Agenda 21. Do your research on the sites mentioned above and see how 400+ and Agenda 21 are the same. You can also go online and read the 400+ Sustainability Element on the town's website. It is important that the public be informed about what our town is trying to adopt.

This will affect each and every resident who lives here. Hopefully, you will attend the next board meeting to exercise your rights and we may keep enjoying the freedoms we have been blessed to have from 1640.

Read the sign in Olde Towne, which states "from the beginning Southampton has maintained the principle of self-government and has typified an American Community of the highest type." Let's keep it that way.

SUE BIRDSALL

Transcends Party

Dear Rick,

Have you heard about the fantastic award that was given to the Town of East Hampton and Bill Wilkinson by Governor Cuomo and the New York State, Department of State?

In recognition of Bill's extraordinary management of East Hampton's fiscal disaster, (the Democrats' $27 million legacy to taxpayers), and the re-engineering of the town's finances and government, the DOS awarded $536,425 to the Town.

After a number of local negative editorials, all obviously wrong, it is great to see an objective professional assessment that recognizes the stunning success of the Wilkinson administration. And this success truly transcends party, as all taxpayers receive the rewards of good management. I can heartily agree with Governor Cuomo, Bill's government is a model for other municipalities to follow.

A big thank you needs to go to Bill Wilkinson and Theresa Quigley, Len Bernard, Charlene Kagel and all of the other players in this government who continue to work each day to foster the good government principles and practices that led to this award.

CAROLE CAMPOLO

Editor's Note: Wasn't Dominic Stanzione part of the Republican majority that engineered the financial turnaround along with Quigley and Wilkinson?

Shedding Light

Dear Rick,

Again, I have to correct your reader, Mr. Krause, on Shelter Island's lighting law. The shield I developed (and provide for free to homeowners) IS NOT EVEN ALLOWED in the proposed Shelter Island code.

The fixture that is used to hold two PAR floodlight bulbs is not a "fully shielded" fixture so it would not be permitted. Therefore the shields that fit the fixture could not be used. The opposition to the proposed draft is completely unfounded. My hope for that community is that people will come to the hearing on the 29th at 4:50 PM to support passage of a very sensible and smart lighting code for Shelter Island.

SUSAN HARDER

INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY ASSOCIATION

Decisiveness Required

Dear Editor,

On Thursday, Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand demonstrated what leadership in tackling global warming looks like. They, along with senators from New Jersey and Connecticut, sent a letter to the White House, describing the devastation that Hurricane Sandy caused, including to New York, and asking President Obama to cap carbon pollution from new and existing power plants.

We need more elected officials in New York willing to address this issue, and we need President Obama to lead in tackling global warming. From Sandy to wildfires in Colorado, millions of Americans continue to be affected by extreme weather events that scientists warn will only grow worse unless we cut the carbon pollution fueling global warming.

I applaud Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for stressing the need for urgency, and I urge President Obama to tackle global warming with the decisiveness required, most notably by setting strong limits on carbon pollution from new and existing power plants.

FRANK IANNUZZI

Time Will Tell

Dear Rick,

Interesting. Here in the U.S., we actually still have average citizens rooting for the Keystone XL carrying the Canadian filthy sand oil from Alberta to refineries in Texas thinking it will in some mysterious way make our country oil independent and they themselves able to buy gas at a lower price. In fact the Koch brothers and fellow tar sands investors are the only ones who will benefit as well as the oil conglomerates who will sell that refined oil overseas.

It seems the Canadians are more realistic concerning the environmental dangers of piping their own tar sands within their own land. They have put a kibosh on their Northern Gateway pipeline, a pipeline to cross Canada to their own refineries. The reason is the potential environmental disasters from the inevitable oil spills. They realize how damaging it would be to their country to have their own tar sands pipelined across their own land.

Is America's land less precious than Canada's? Are Americans more naive than the Canadians; more easily manipulated by the true benefactors of this impending horror? Are we going to wake up and follow the lead of Canada or will remain duped and watch take place the contamination of our soil as well as the drinking water within it? Time will tell.